The Atlanta Falcons brought a major conglomerate of staffers to the Georgia Pro Day on Wednesday, which makes sense. How can you not be interested in prospects like Zachariah Branch and Christen Miller, who not only are attainable for the Falcons at pick 48, but come right out of Atlanta's backyard?
After the Bulldogs' Pro Day this week had Ian Cunningham, Kevin Stefanski, Jeff Ulbrich, Matt Ryan and others in attendance, Miller told the media he has real interest in remaining in the Peach State. And it helps that he would fill one of their biggest unfulfilled needs on the roster at defensive tackle.
""Oh man, that's the city. Man, it'd be a blessing. I think the city will go crazy... Man if I was to come to Atlanta, itll be a show every week.""Christen Miller
A Georgia native, Miller noted that he brought two state championships to Eden Grove in high school, won a national championship in college, so staying close to home and helping bring the Dirty Birds a Super Bowl would be a dream come true for him-- and this would be a home-run pick to make beyond the homecoming.
Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller is making it clear he wants to stay in-state to start his NFL career
The 21-year-old is one of the best defensive tackle prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft and is currently projected as an early second-round pick in next month's draft. He logged four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks for the Bulldogs this past season, but he made a much bigger impact than the stats suggest.
One of the Falcons' biggest issues is in run defense, and Miller would instantly help fix that problem. David Onyemata is now a Jet, and Da'Shawn Hand is the only solid run defender the Falcons have. Brandon Dorlus and Zach Harrison are better pass rushers, while Ruke Orhorhoro is still developing.
Not only did Miller share a defensive line with Jalon Walker at Georgia, the First Team All-SEC defender clearly values staying close to home and having his friends and family at his NFL games. Frankly, the only question about Miller is if he'll even be available when Atlanta is on the clock at 48.
He's garnered some late first-round buzz, but if you ask most people, MIller will be one of the first players to come off of the board on Day 2 of the draft. And with the Falcons picking near the middle of round 2, they might need a miracle to make his (and potentially Cunningham"s) dream a reality.